Semiconductor memories are used to store information for electronic systems, such as data, commands, and other types of information. Memories may be non-volatile, which are memories capable of storing information even when power is not provided to the memory, and may be volatile, which are memories capable of storing information when power is provided to the memory. The stored information may be read from the memories by the electronic system for use at a later time. In order for the memories to be effective in this role, the memories need to operate reliably and perform as expected. That is, the memory space in which the information is stored must accurately retain the information. Additionally, memory circuitry that is used to carry out various memory operations must be reliable as well or the memory may operate incorrectly or not operate at all.
In many memories, an example of memory circuitry are voltage generators that are used to generate internal voltages for the various memory operations. A voltage pump is an example of a voltage generator that may be used to generate a pumped voltage, that is, a voltage that is greater than a supply voltage. Capacitance may be used in generating the pumped voltage. For example, the capacitances may be used as ripple capacitances by the voltage pump to smooth the pumped voltage output. In cases where the capacitance becomes inoperable, for example, the capacitance oxide breaks down and excessive leakage current result, the reliability of the entire memory may compromised and its performance degraded. Where the capacitance becomes inoperable in the field, an entire device to which includes the now unreliable memory may need to be replaced.